Rommegrot

Rommegrot is made by simmering thick sour cream until the fat separates and rises, skimming that butter off to pour over the finished dish, then thickening what remains with flour and milk into a porridge served hot with the reserved butter, cinnamon and sugar, usually with cured meat such as fenalar or spekeskinke alongside. It is rich enough to function as a meal. Traditionally it was made at the seter, the summer mountain farm, when cream was plentiful, and it carried ritual weight: it was brought to women after childbirth, served at weddings and funerals, and left out for the nisse at Christmas. Summer farms and folk museums still make it, and it appears on Christmas tables.

Highlights

• The separated butter - fat skimmed off and poured back over the dish.
• The cinnamon and sugar - the standard topping alongside the butter.
• The cured meat - fenalar or ham served with it as a meal.
• The seter setting - summer mountain farms where it is still made.

When to go

Summer at working mountain farms such as Herdalssetra and at folk museums with demonstration kitchens; December on Christmas tables. Traditional restaurants serve it year-round in mountain districts.

What to expect

It is extremely rich, and a small bowl is filling. Poorly made versions are floury and heavy. Vegetarians should note it is normally served with cured meat, though the porridge itself is meat-free.

Nearby

Herdalssetra and other working summer farms serve it; Maihaugen and folk museums demonstrate the making.